bippus_2003

Study Overview

  • Focuses on humor used in conflict situations.

  • Evaluates how humor impacts self-reported outcomes in conflicts.

  • Uses Attribution Theory to analyze respondent perceptions.

Key Findings

  • Attributions regarding humor use by speakers correlate with outcomes: Escalation, Progress, and Loss of Face.

  • Internal attributions (e.g., self-serving reasons) relate to negative outcomes.

  • External attributions (e.g., positive intent) relate to positive outcomes.

Purpose of the Study

  • To understand the effects of humorous comments in conflict interactions.

  • Aims to identify factors influencing positive conflict outcomes when humor is used.

Importance of Humor in Conflict

  • Humor may serve as a communication tool to convey social norms.

  • Can alleviate tension but may also be seen negatively in conflicts.

Positive Functions of Humor

  • Reduces aggression (Baron, 1993).

  • Provides comic relief in stressful situations.

Negative Functions of Humor

  • Risks being perceived as a personal attack.

  • May imply that the topic is not serious.

Attribution Theory in Context

  • Attributions influence how respondents perceive humor usage:

    • Anxiety Relief

    • Mood Improvement

    • Establishing Common Ground

    • Changing Perspective

    • Demonstrating Hostility

Perceptions of Humor Quality

  • Humor perceived as:

    • Relevant

    • Funny

    • Well-timed

    • Silly or Witty

  • Quality impacts conflict outcomes significantly.

Differences in Humor Perception

  • Individual humor tendencies affect how people respond:

    • Humor appreciation results in positive perceptions of conflict interactions.

Research Questions

  • RQ1a: What motives for humor do participants attribute to their conflict partner?

  • RQ1b: How are attributed motives related to perceived outcomes?

  • RQ2a: What qualities of humor are most commonly reported?

  • RQ2b: How are perceptions of humor qualities associated with outcomes?

Methodology

  • Participants: 285 (106 men, 179 women), average age 20.

  • Data from communication classes, seeking conversations involving humor in conflicts.

Measures Used

  • Humor Orientation Scale (HOS) to gauge general humor tendencies.

  • Eight measures for speaker’s humor reasons including:

    • Anxiety Relief, Mood Improvement, etc.

  • Assessment of humor characteristics:

    • Relevance, Funniness, Timing, Unexpectedness, Wittiness, Silliness.

Factor Analysis Results

  • Eight reasons for humor use accounted for significant variance in conflict outcomes.

  • Humor characteristics evaluated by relevance, silliness, and overall quality.

Results and Outcomes

  • Attributions of humor correlating with outcomes:

  • Humor as Mood Improvement inversely relates to Escalation; positively relates to Progress.

  • Hostility attribution is positively correlated with Escalation and Loss of Face.

Implications and Future Research

  • Highlights importance of humor quality in conflict resolution.

  • Suggests further study on internal vs. external attributions affecting responses.

  • Recommends exploration of what constitutes 'quality' humor in conflict contexts.

Conclusion

  • Study underscores necessity of evaluating humor types in conflicts and contextual factors.

  • Highlights the dual-edge nature of humor in interpersonal interactions.